Tundra Swan

 This morning I am heading out to Brownsville, MN, near the Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin border. I am hoping to have the opportunity to photograph tundra swans. We have a pretty good population of nesting trumpeter swans here in Minnesota but the tundra swans are only around for a few weeks during migration. You can tell the difference because the tundra swans have the little yellow tear drop on the beak under the eye and the trumpeters do not. Tundra swans nest up above the Arctic Circle but they winter along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. On their way to their wintering grounds thousands stop on the Mississippi River near Brownsville, MN to refuel by eating the tubers of water vegetation found there. Once the river freezes up they will head south east again. I am hoping that I am not too late. Our temps have dropped below freezing during the night for the past few weeks but the daytime temps have been in the upper 40's with the low 50's projected for today. If I did miss the swans I still have a chance at photographing bald eagles along the river and I may swing into south western Wisconsin and see if any of the golden eagles have returned to their wintering grounds.